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The Maiden Heist Reviews

...a perfectly watchable (yet somewhat forgettable) piece of work.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Nov 1, 2011

Clearly, the filmmakers sacrificed internal logic in order to deliver a direct-to-video farce that clocks in at 90 minutes on the button.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Dec 1, 2009

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Eye For Film >> Movies >> The Maiden Heist (2008) Film Review

The Maiden Heist

Reviewed by: Chris

Art shouldn’t just be for highbrow types. A painting can have special meaning, even for an ordinary blue-collar Joe. At least, that’s the message from director Pete Hewitt. This is knockabout comedy that might make Woody Allen fans affectionately recall Small Time Crooks, even though this film is very different from Allen’s caper and wears its point on its sleeve. “Great art is not solely the domain of the connoisseur,” says Hewitt. “Anyone can be emotionally transported by a few paint smudges on a canvas.” Hewitt ( Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey , Thunderpants ) has here come up with a grand robbery that is for love rather than money. Three misfit security guards at the museum embark on a dangerous journey to save the things they hold dear.

Decorated with a galaxy of stars, The Maiden Heist has been avidly awaited by fans worrying if it will see the light of day. In December 2008, the distribution arm of the Yari Film Group responsible filed for bankruptcy. Yari’s Emily Lambert e-mailed the Globe saying: "I don't anticipate any screenings of The Maiden Heist in the near future," and producer Rob Paris went scrambling to find a new distributor.

With a comparatively modest budget of $20 million, Paris feels he has got great value. "Our movie needed the scope the size of the Worcester Art Museum,” he says. “It gave the film a look, a richness, that we otherwise wouldn't have gotten." The WAM is used to establish the interior of the fictional Boston Art Museum (BAM) in which our story takes place.

Scriptwriter Michael LeSieur had a top comedy actor in his previous hit ( You, Me & Dupree ) in the form of Owen Wilson. In The Maiden Heist, the chameleon-like talents of William H Macy first spring to mind as being suited to comedy, due to his Fargo fame, when he played the police story with subtle humour. Christopher Walken and Morgan Freeman are better known for their serious roles, but we should remember that Walken has also starred in comedy ( Wedding Crashers , Hairspray ), even if it is to play the straight man against the likes of Wilson. Freeman has had brushes with his funny side in Bruce Almighty . Heading up the supporting cast is Marcia Gay Harden, who won an Oscar playing an artist (Lee Krasner) in the art biopic, Pollock . But it is probably fair to say that all these great stars are known primarily for their power to bring great depth to serious dramatic roles. There were moments in The Maiden Heist where I felt they were bumbling through the comedy rather than playing bumbling heisters. I found this a bit worrying as I have deep respect for their work. But maybe other viewers could find the apparent mismatch of seemingly inappropriate casting oddly rewarding.

The big star of The Maiden Heist though is, of course, the central painting. Roger (Walken) stares at The Lonely Maiden for years. First as a way to pass time, but now as a way to address or replace what is lacking in his life. The painting has become his passion. His obsession. Supplanting the passion he once felt for his wife. This particular artwork in the film was especially created by painter Jeremy Lipking. “When I first met with the director he opened up the Gabriel Weisberg book Beyond Impressionism: The Naturalist Impulse, (which is probably the most worn out book on my shelf) and said, ‘We need something like this.’ A painting in the manner of Naturalist painters George Clausen, Emile Friant and Jules Bastien Lepage. I had to finish the painting in 7 days. It normally would have taken me a month or longer to do something this size. I got artist model Toni Czechorosky to help me out with the period costume."

Macy’s character, on the other hand, is obsessed with a statue. Creating it involved photographing a naked Macy from a 360 degree perspective. (The photographs went to a sculptor in Los Angeles, who brought in another model and photographed him in the same fashion before creating a mould for the statue.)

The Maiden Heist quickly sold out at its opening at the Edinburgh International Film Festival . It’s a light-hearted caper that makes for undemanding viewing. I don’t see audiences flocking to galleries as a result, but who knows? While Roger might find his wife has been his lonely maiden all along, many viewers may identify more strongly with the bit where he flits to Florida with the missus. Missing out on the art appreciation stuff seems a convenient bypass.

If this is the case, the film is somewhat hypocritical in its claim about art and the general masses. It uses the notion to entertain without encouraging us to seriously engage. LeSieur, who wrote the script as a film school thesis project, may well be an art enthusiast. But the idea that ordinary people don’t love art is a bit worrying to those of us who do. Shortly after I visited (during extensive bar-hopping) the beautiful Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, it was targeted by amateur thieves who posed as security guards. If you see me exit the Tate Modern with a naked William H Macy under my arm, please shoot me. Or take him back – he is a high-value asset of the acting profession and should not be high-jacked. “But it was a maiden heist, officer...”

Director: Peter Hewitt

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H Macy, Marcia Gay Harden, Breckin Meyer, Phil Hebert

Runtime: 89 minutes

Country: US

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The Maiden Heist

By Scott Chitwood

Buy this DVD at Amazon.com

Rating: PG-13

Starring: Christopher Walken as Roger Barlow Morgan Freeman as Charles Marcia Gay Harden William H. Macy as George McLendon Breckin Meyer as Starving Artist Wynn Everett as Docent Lauren E. Clarke as Jordan Smalt – Museum Guard Todd Weeks as The Curator Chuck Slavin as Frank Bhavesh Patel as Donnie Fraser Townley as Milton LeRouge Luis Moco as Allen Anthony Cascio as Tony Bargello Stephen E. Stapinski as Bob

Special Features: Director, Writer and Producer Commentary

In The Presence of Art: Making The Maiden Heist Featurette

Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary

Blooper Reel

Other Info: Widescreen (2.40:1) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound Running Time: 90 Minutes

The Details: The following is the official description of the film:

“It was a stroke of genius. But now the perfect crime is turning into a perfect disaster in this madcap comedy featuring Academy Award winners Morgan Freeman (Best Supporting Actor, ‘Million Dollar Baby,’ 2004), Christopher Walken (Best Supporting Actor, ‘The Deer Hunter,’ 1978), Marcia Gay Harden (Best Supporting Actress, ‘Pollock,’ 2000) and Academy Award nominee William H. Macy (Best Supporting Actor, ‘Fargo,’ 1996). Charles, Roger and George are the very picture of honest security guards. But when they learn their favorite artworks are being sent to another museum, they concoct a plan to switch the real masterpieces with fakes. All goes well until a mistake forces these first-time thieves into a last-minute escapade in the comedy caper that proves you’re never too old to have some new fun.”

“The Maiden Heist” is rated PG-13 for some strong language, nudity and brief fantasy violence.

Mini-Review: I think if anyone besides Walken, Freeman, and Macy had starred in “The Maiden Heist”, the film would not be worth watching. The basic concept is clever. A group of aging security guards plot to steal three works of art that they have become enamored with over their years of working at an art museum. As fun as that sounds, the execution is pretty bland. They plot to swap the art with fakes, they throw in a few aging jokes along the way, they execute a near flawless robbery, then have a major foul-up at the end. It’s like a boring “Ocean’s 11.”

It’s really Walken, Freeman, and Macy that make it interesting. Christopher Walken has the most screentime as Roger Barlow. He’s utterly enamored with a painting of a woman. He fantasizes about saving her from thieves, he knows every detail about her, and she’s the one thing that makes his life worth living. In order to swipe the painting, he’s willing to steal from his wife’s Florida vacation fund. He’s well paired with Marcia Gay Harden who plays his wife. This is the most over the top I’ve ever seen Harden, but she brings some fun comic relief to the story, especially when she’s thrown in with Freeman and Macy towards the end. Morgan Freeman is also great as Charles, another art aficionado and co-conspirator. He seems to be the only one with true artistic talent among the group, yet he’s equally obsessed with his painting. As sophisticated as he is, he’s just as unstable as the other guys. Then there’s William H. Macy as George McLendon, a former SEAL who now is fixated upon a statue in the museum. Now I like Macy a lot, but I’ve seen just about enough of his bare butt in movies. You see it several times more in “The Maiden Heist.” It gets to the point where it starts feeling like a desperate attempt to get laughs. Other than that, these guys make a solid comedy team.

If you’re looking for a light comedy, “The Maiden Heist” will fit the bill. Fans of Walken, Freeman, and Macy will also enjoy seeing their favorite actors get a bit silly. But if you’re looking for an elaborate heist comedy, you should stick with “Ocean’s 11”.

Among the bonus features you’ll find the standard offerings – a crew commentary, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and a ‘making of’ featurette.

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The Maiden Heist (2009)

Directed by peter hewitt.

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Description by Wikipedia

The Maiden Heist is a 2009 comedy film directed by Peter Hewitt and starring Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H. Macy and Marcia Gay Harden. The film was released as The Heist in the UK.

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The Maiden Heist

Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and William H. Macy star as 3 bumbling security guards at a Boston art museum. Roger (Walken) and Charles (Freeman) are mesmerized by 2 paintings, while George (Macy) is enchanted with a bronze statue of a warrior. When they find out that their prized pieces of art have been sold to a museum in Denmark, they panic. Roger, Charles and George are left with 2 choices: move to Denmark or steal their precious artwork. Which do you think they choose? The title is not The Maiden of Denmark!

George takes the role of mastermind because of his military background serving in the 3 rd wave of the invasion of Grenada or is it ‘Nam. He keeps tripping over his own story concerning his military training. You may doubt George’s military expertise when you see him rappel down a wall. Look Out Below!!!!

When Roger, Charles and George finally agree on their Ocean’s Eleven inspired plan for stealing their beloved artwork, they execute their strategy not with the smoothness of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean and Brad Pitt’s Rusty Ryan, but more like Moe, Larry and Curly.

Even though Roger, Charles and George act like the Three Stooges, they are not as funny as them. Morgan Freeman and Christopher Walken have been in comedies before, but they seem out of place in this one. This falls on the shoulders of Michael LeSieur for not writing anything funny for them to perform. Freeman and Walken are both Oscar winners. They have the talent to be funny like Freeman was in The Bucket List and Walken was in Wayne’s World 2 . In The Maiden Heist they both just seem stiff and going through the motions.

William H. Macy seems the most at home in this adventure comedy being an old vet at playing screwball characters. Macy is the catalyst in the funniest scene in the movie when he leaps out of a wooden crate that he had been hiding in to the surprise of Charles, Roger and Roger’s wife Rose (Marcia Gay Harden, The Mist ) wearing……I’m not going to tell you!!!

The comedy bits written by LeSieur are not that original. George hides in a wooden crate and Roger can’t find him. Rose is the overbearing wife that is the thorn in the side of Roger’s plan. By the way, nice accent delivered by Marcia Gay Harden. Too bad she wasn’t given more material to show her talent with.  When everything doesn’t go as planned, everybody freaks out. We have seen this in other movies and on TV which makes it feel old and stale.

While it may appear as though I really disliked The Maiden Heist , the truth is I am more disappointed by it. With the wealth of talent that was involved with this movie, I was expecting a lot more. I thought there would be a lot of laughs, but there were only a few amusing scenes that caused smiles and only one true scene that sparked a laugh.

If you are looking for security guard humor, I’d still recommend The Maiden Heist over the Night at the Museum movies. However, if you want a side-splitting comedy, I’d look elsewhere.

The Maiden Heist is now available on DVD. Click on the movie screen below to see a trailer.

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It was a stroke of genius. But now the perfect crime is turning into a perfect disaster in this madcap comedy featuring Academy Award® winners MORGAN FREEMAN (Best Supporting Actor, Million Dollar Baby, 2004), CHRISTOPHER WALKEN (Best Supporting Actor, The Deer Hunter, 1978), MARCIA GAY HARDEN (Best Supporting Actress, Pollock, 2000) and Academy Award® nominee WILLIAM H. MACY (Best Supporting Actor, Fargo, 1996). Charles, Roger and George are the very picture of honest security guards. But when they learn their favorite artworks are being sent to another museum, they concoct a plan to switch the real masterpieces with fakes. All goes well until a mistake forces these first-time thieves into a last-minute escapade in the comedy caper that proves you're never too old to have some new fun.

Any movie starring Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H. Macy, and Marcia Gay Harden carries with it the expectation of good things, and The Maiden Heist does not disappoint. Roger (Walken), Charlie (Freeman), and George (Macy) are all guards at a Boston art museum. Each has one piece to which he is virtually addicted; Roger waxes rhapsodic about a (fictional) 19th-century post-naturalist painting called "The Lovely Maiden," referring to the subject's "desperate longing and overwhelming passion," while Charlie loves another painting and night guard George likes to strip off his clothes and pose like his favorite statue after hours. When the three learn that the insufferable young curator plans to sell the three works (and others) to a Danish museum, replacing them with depictions of animal genitalia and similar atrocities, they are inconsolable. They consider moving to Denmark, which doesn't sit too well with Roger's wife (Harden), who has her heart set on a vacation trip to sunny Florida. But George, a tightly wound former Marine (he took part in Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada), has an alternative plan: arrange to have replicas of the pieces made, and then replace the real ones with the fakes during the move. It doesn't take Nostradamus to predict that complications will ensue. The heist itself is poorly planned, to say the least, and quickly turns into a fiasco; but these are likable characters (as the tag line says, "They're not bad guys--just bad thieves"), and, well, everything will probably turn out OK. Directed by Peter Hewitt, The Maiden Heist is unlikely to pose a threat to Citizen Kane as one of the great moments in cinematic history, but it has a light touch, a great cast, and plenty of charm. Bonus material includes a "making of" featurette and audio commentary. --Sam Graham

Product details

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.40:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches; 2.4 ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ Peter Hewitt
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen, Multiple Formats, Subtitled, Color, AC-3, Closed-captioned
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ November 24, 2009
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William Macy, Marcia Harden, Joseph McKenna
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Lori McCreary, Rob Paris, Bob Yari
• Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002NO4ISG
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• #7,590 in Comedy (Movies & TV)

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The Maiden Heist

The Maiden Heist is a 2009 comedy film starring Christopher Walken , Morgan Freeman , William H. Macy , and Marcia Gay Harden .

Roger (Walken) is a member of the security team of a prominent art museum, though much of the time his attentions are focused solely on one painting: "The Lonely Maiden". His obsession is such that it affects his relationship with his wife, Rose (Harden). Charles (Freeman) works in guest relations and has a similar fascination with another painting, and George (Macy) is a night watchman who is perhaps too familiar with a particular statue. When they hear that their exhibits are due to be shipped off to a museum in Denmark, they team up to keep it from happening. After numerous canned plans, they decide to steal the paintings during the move and switch forgeries in their place. Hilarity Ensues .

Was originally supposed to be released theatrically, but the bankruptcy of its distributor forced it to be sent directly to DVD.

Tropes include:

• Accentuate the Negative : When the three have collected their forgeries, each one knows that they aren't perfect despite their flawless appearance. George is the first to realize that it's because they're so obsessed with their individual pieces that they just know something is amiss; it has nothing to do with their quality at all.
• Book Ends : The film opens with Roger staring at the painting in question. A guard in the museum in Denmark acts the same way with the forgery.
• Chekhov's Gag : George stripping down whenever he's alone with his statue.
• Crazy Cat...Man? : Charles's obsession with his painting has led to his hoarding of many, many cats; he is a rare male invocation of this trope.
• Daydream Surprise : The fantasy gunfight that opens the film.
• Cute Kitten : Charles' obsession with the painting seems to stem from the cat featured in it.
• Direct-to-DVD : Due to the distributor, Yari Film Group, going bankrupt.
• Exposition Diagram : Both the first and the third form apply; George creates a miniature diorama of the museum's floorplan and uses chess pieces and toy soldiers to signify themselves and guards moving through the museum. Small stop-motion animated sequences illustrate the plans put forward...and their failures.
• Fan Disservice : Unless you've always wanted to see William H. Macy's ass.
• Fruit of the Loon : While on the phone, Roger holds a lemon for absolutely no reason. note  The directors' commentary states that Walken simply informed them he was going to do so, so they let him.
• Guns Akimbo : Roger does this during his fantasy that opens the film.
• Hilarity Ensues : Essentially the entire plan from start to finish.
• Informed Ability : George claims to have served in the invasion of Grenada, and he has plenty of gear, but his skills in practice are...well...
• I'm Okay! : George after his "rappel" down the side of the apartment building.
• MacGuffin : The works of art.
• Mistaken for Gay : George insists that his obsession with the statue is merely from an artistic standpoint, and not a sexual one, and even though he takes off his clothes every time he sees it, it's never in a sexual manner; he's comparing the statue's physique to his own. In fact, it's so similar that the duplicate statue is based off of his own body.
• Naked People Are Funny : See "fan disservice" above.
• "I'm already out!"
• Semper Fi : George is a former Marine (or at least claims to be one) and salutes Roger and Charles with "Semper Fi".
• Your Other Left : When George is trying to tell Roger which crate he's in, Roger asks, "Is that my right or your right?"
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The maiden heist.

Directed by Peter Hewitt

They're not bad guys, just bad thieves.

A comedy centered on three museum security guards who devise a plan to steal back the artworks to which they have become attached after they are transferred to another museum.

Morgan Freeman Christopher Walken William H. Macy Marcia Gay Harden Philip Dorn Hebert Todd Weeks Bhavesh Patel Stephen Stapinski Breckin Meyer Wynn Everett Joseph McKenna Jim Chiros Bates Wilder Anthony Cascio Naheem Garcia Bart A. Piscitello Jr. David J. Curtis Peter Darrigo James Welu Christy Scott Cashman Douglass Bowen Flynn Patricia B. Till

Director Director

Peter Hewitt

Producers Producers

Lori McCreary Rob Paris Bob Yari

Writer Writer

Michael LeSieur

Casting Casting

Susan Shopmaker Randi Glass

Editor Editor

Carole Kravetz Aykanian

Cinematography Cinematography

Ueli Steiger

Additional Directing Add. Directing

Branko Racki

Production Design Production Design

Chris Roope

Art Direction Art Direction

Gershon Ginsburg

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Lisa Nilsson

Stunts Stunts

Aaron Vexler Branko Racki

Composer Composer

Rupert Gregson-Williams

Sound Sound

David J. Schwartz

Costume Design Costume Design

Dog Pond Productions Yan Film Group Paris Film Production Revelations Entertainment

Releases by Date

09 may 2009, 24 jun 2009, 08 jul 2010, 19 nov 2013, 13 nov 2014, 13 oct 2019, 01 may 2022, 29 may 2009, 18 sep 2013, 17 nov 2014, 15 aug 2015, releases by country.

• Digital 10 VOD
• Physical 10 DVD & Blu-Ray
• Digital U Prime Video
• Theatrical 12

Netherlands

• Physical 12 DVD, Blu ray
• TV 12 RTL 5
• Theatrical M/12
• Digital 16+
• Physical PG-13

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Popular reviews

Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★★

Starring: My Name is Morgan Freeman

Ok, but I can’t be the only one that got a bit threw off by Harden’s haircut and style and thought this was like set in the past decade or so?

But yeah, this was a cute little comedy heist. There was an unexpected and great sense of style, especially in the way they explained how the whole heist would go down. The cinematography is surprisingly stunning; I didn’t expect this to look as fantastic as it did (it also helps my MacBook pop up the color even more). The painting that kicks off the event is also really good. This is a better and more amusing heist comedy starring Freeman than, say, The…

Review by hevsfilms ★★½ 2

Like if your Dad remade Ocean’s Eleven after having a beer on a Sunday.

Review by Mos Co ★★½

I was back to work this week after having three weeks off so movie watching has been cut back a little. I do however have a TV in my room at work and this film was on TV this morning so I just sat around and watched it all.  It’s just a very light hearted heist movie, nothing too spectacular, but it was just a nice wee film to watch. It’s got Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, and William H Macy in it, so worth it just for that.

Review by megan ★★

but they did it for the art

Review by Cathal ★★★

As heist films go this isn’t one for being tense or that serious but the cast does a great job with it. Totally light hearted with some laughs thrown in, plus it doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. Worth a watch.

Review by Jack ★

This was awful. I cannot believe three great actors signed up to be apart of this shit

Review by Oche Balboa 🏳️‍🌈 ★★

Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken und William H. Macy - man könnte fast denken, hier kommt der nächste Blockbuster um die Ecke, bei solch einer grandiosen Besetzung. 

Aber The Maiden Heist,  oder der deutsche Verleihtitel Bruchreif, im deutschen TV damals auch ausgestrahlt als Drei verliebte Diebe, bietet gar nicht so viel grandioses.  Ein im Sande verlaufendes Drehbuch, Logiklücken ohne Ende und ein fatales Schauspiel (darunter leider auch Freeman).  

Ich will nicht sagen, dass das ein kompletter Veriss war, aber für leichte Kost an einem gemütlichen Mittwochmorgen ist das schon ganz ok.

Review by loureviews ★★★

Shown on UK TV as 'The Heist', this promised a lot with a great trio of ageing lead actors in Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman and William H Macy as security guards trying to steal the exhibits they love so much from the museum in which they work, not for profit, but just for the love of the art.

The first half hour is probably the high point of the film as we have scene-setting and the planning of the heist using a model museum (and a squeakily funny performance from Marcia Gay Harden as Walken's wife, in his boring suburban home) - after that it is OK, and fairly entertaining, but these guys have the potential to do so much…

Review by Wahrhaftig ★★★½

The Maiden Heist is freaking hilarious throughout the entire film. I was LMAO so much that I was smiling when I wasn't laughing and tired, out of breath, at the end. This is a very good crime comedy film.

How the F*** does Poolhall Junkies. a lame movie that is categorized as a comedy yet gives no laughs, get rated 3.1 on letterboxd vs. a great film The Maiden Heist, with 3 legendary actors that gives over ten laugh-out-louds, get a 2.7?!. Watch them both and see for yourself how ratings are untrustworthy,

Review by The Media Diorama ★★

The Heist stages an art theft that, much like the retiring characters, moves at a lethargic pace which swipes its old-fashioned comedy caper of many punchy possibilities, and for some unknown reason was marketed as a serious crime thriller rather than a light-hearted escapade.

Review by Mark Cunliffe 🇵🇸 ★★★½

A straightforward good example of a diverting 90 minute movie. The kind of film you don't mind catching after the news at ten because you know you'll be in bed around midnight having been mildly entertained.

Walken, Freeman and Macy look like they're having a ball here and you can't begrudge them that. Freeman would return to the comedy heist movie with Going In Style, but this was better. Offbeat fun that provided a few chuckles.

Review by naomi ★★½

i want to grow up to be morgan freeman

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‘The Quiet Ones’ Director & Cast Break Down Making a Movie Based on Denmark's Most Infamous Bank Heist

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The Big Picture

• Collider's Steve Weintraub discusses The Quiet Ones with the director and cast at TIFF 2024.
• The Quiet Ones is a heist film based on a true story reflecting the chaos of the all-time largest Danish heist in 2008.
• Director Frederik Louis Hviid and co-stars Amanda Collin, Christopher Wagelin, Reda Kateb, and Gustav Dyekjær Giese discuss how limitations inspired creativity, how cinematography enhanced the realism and time-sensitive essence of the heist, and working with the real people to bring the story to screen.

A plan of attack. A determined team in pursuit of something great. Chaos, quick thinking, scheduling, and money constraints. There's a surprising amount of crossover between pulling off a heist and producing a feature film. These lessons were learned proudly by the team behind The Quiet Ones , who delighted in the "musicality of violence" filming a movie inspired by Denmark's most infamous bank heist.

Inspired by true events, The Quiet Ones is a lean, meticulous thriller about the all-time largest — and most spectacular — heist on Danish soil. Set in 2008, the film depicts a team of ambitious, uncompromising criminals as they train and prepare for the ultimate heist, led by boxer Kaspar (played by Gustav Dyekjær Giese ). Action-packed and character-driven, The Quiet Ones places the audience in the middle of the chaos, daring them to witness criminal history.

The cast of The Quiet Ones, Amanda Collin, Christopher Wagelin, Reda Kateb, and Giese, along with director Frederik Louis Hviid visited the Collider studio at the Cinema Center at MARBL to talk with Steve Weintraub after their world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival . During their interview, they talk about their excitement of making a genre film rarely seen in their home country of Denmark, how budget and scheduling limitations actually enhanced their enjoyment of filming, and working with the real people for the movie. They also discuss their regimens and the realities of appearing muscular on screen, and just how many times everyone on the team has seen Heat .

You can watch the full interview at TIFF in the video above or read the conversation transcript below.

Scandinavia Doesn't Usually Make Movies Like 'The Quiet Ones'

"a danish heist film based on a true story.".

COLLIDER: The film turned out fantastic. This is my kind of genre, but everyone watching will not have seen it yet. How have you been describing the film to friends and family?

FREDERIK LOUIS HVIID: We've been describing it as a Danish heist film based on a true story. It's about this group of international criminals who meet up in Copenhagen at a very naive time in Denmark where they spent the better part of two years planning this very, very elaborate heist that they were successful in carrying out back in 2008. It's about the people who form together and pull this heist off, and also a little bit about those who came in opposition to them.

For each of you, talk a little bit about who you play in the film and what drew you to this script and this project.

REDA KATEB: Something that I really loved in the script and in the point of view and the project of Frederik is that for this group of people, money is not the point. The point is a challenge to do something different. And the way we treated these characters, it's very strong in the script, and in the way it’s telling the story. It's not one more movie about bank robbing, but it really gives space to the characters themselves.

GUSTAV DYEKJÆR GIESE: This genre is kind of rare in Denmark, I would say, so to read a script like that, I just felt instantly that I wanted to do it both because of how it was written, the feel of the script, and the genre, but also the character of Kasper was interesting to me. I mean, he's a guy who is a person like anyone with dreams and hopes, and he wants to be somebody and feel like somebody in this life. He has maybe some other opportunities that I have had myself, but he tries to make it and see where it gets him.

It's interesting because you have to talk without giving away everything.

HVIID: Don't give it away! [Laughs]

AMANDA COLLIN: Also, naturally, I really wanted to work with Frederik, and at that time, Gustav was also attached, which was really interesting to me. Then I think any chance to be in a heist movie. As Gustav says, it's not a genre that we see so often in Denmark, and Frederik has a really good musicality for violence.

HVIID: I'll take the compliment. [Laughs]

COLLIN: And Maria's part, if you wanna take the conversation a little bit further than just heist and robbery and money, is an interesting character in terms of elevating the movie to talk about what people do in order to be somebody and in order to justify their existence in life. So, I'm really happy that I was allowed.

CHRISTOPHER WAGELIN: For me, when I read the script, I was like, “Are you allowed to do this kind of movie in Scandinavia?” We're not doing these types of movies, so it felt almost unreal to do a real heist movie, a classic heist movie. To be a part of that felt once-in-a-lifetime because you don't really do them back home. Also, I heard so much about Frederik; I have friends who work with him. I'm Swedish, so I just heard about this Danish director from my friends in Denmark, like, “You have to take the opportunity to work with him.” And it was wonderful. My character has a line in the movie when he says, “I tried to get out from this business, to quit, but I always come back,” and I think that says something because it's so much about the identity and the adrenaline rush even more than the money.

'The Quiet Ones' Cinematography Reflects the Pressure and Chaos of a Heist

One of the things that I want to compliment you on is that I watch a lot of movies and this is very cinematic. I wanna talk specifically about the beginning. There's a robbery at the beginning, and it's a oner. It's a very ambitious shot in terms of filmmaking. Talk a little bit about why you wanted to do that all as a oner and pulling that off because there's so much going on.

HVIID: There's so much going on, and it was a bit of a headache to pull off because, as you said, there's a lot going on, and there's a lot of coordination that needed to be done. It's shot in a way where we are very limited in terms of what we can see and what we can’t see, so we had to be very creative in terms of where we can put the camera and get all the reflections. We rehearsed a lot. Danish shooting hours are very short compared to US shooting days. So, I think we had a couple of hours left, and I don't think we'd started filming yet because we rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed. The thing is, Danish films don't have the US budget . There's a lot of shooting going on in the first scene, I can say, and there's a lot of shooting going on, especially because they shoot on a windscreen at some point, and I think we only had four of those, so we needed to make sure that we got that oner in one of those four tries. There was a lot of rehearsing that went on, but I really think it paid off.

For this type of film, the reason why we did it isn’t just to be flashy. It's because time is very much an essence in heist films. You're on time, you're late — it's all about getting shit done in time. I think whenever you do a cut, you feel like something's been taken out of time , if that makes sense. So I really wanted to put the audience in that scene feeling like it's real and it's happening now, and you can’t look away. I think that was the reason.

I don't think the average moviegoer realizes they're in the middle of an oner, but they feel the pressure building and don't know why. Cinephiles and people who understand moviemaking understand what the director is pulling off and how challenging it is. I can't believe you only had four shields.

HVIID: [Laughs] I can't believe it either.

Another thing I want to compliment you on is how you have the camera reflecting the chaos because your camera work and the rest of the movie is coordinated and it's very specific, but in the chaos of the robbery, the camera is shaking. You're frantic. You’re freaking out because of the chaos. Talk a little bit about how you decided how you wanted the camera to move through the movie and why specifically it was chaotic during the robbery.

HVIID: This film is based on a true story, and while we were developing the script, we had a very close collaboration with the real main organizer of the robbery after his release. I mean, obviously he's the only one who can actually share how it felt to stand inside of a money vault after you just rammed the caterpillar through the concrete wall. He knows what it smells like, he knows what it looks like, he knows what it sounds like. He was like, “Our hearts were beating furiously, and we only knew that we had a couple of minutes because of the circumstances.” I don't wanna spoil anything, but because of the circumstances, they were already late. He said, “You know what? Money is heavy.” I mean, just picking up a bag of money was like 50 kilos. They knew that they had to run several times, they knew that they were very much in a hurry, and trying to get that franticness in that scene was very important for us.

It actually feels like everything leading up to that goes according to plan sometimes, but this is something different. He said, a very, very interesting thing while we were preparing it. He said, “You can plan everything up to the robbery, and you can plan everything after the robbery, but while you're in there, nobody knows what's going to happen.” And I think that was a very interesting way of putting it.

COLLIN: It's like a movie.

Gustav Giese Worked Out For an Entire Year For "A Few" Days of Filming

“am i looking as pumped as i possibly can”.

For the four of you, you see the shooting schedule in front of you, you know what you're about to do — what day do you have circled in terms of, “I cannot wait to film this,” and what day is circled in terms of if you have this, “How the F are we gonna film this?”

HVIID: That was a lot of days.

GIESE: Yeah, a lot of the days. The whole car chase, the way we did it was very practical and old-school, I guess. I was thinking, “How is this gonna turn out? I don't know.” But the whole robbery I was excited about doing. It was very tough, a physical test during long nights and stuff.

HVIID: Three weeks of nights.

GIESE: My boxing scenes, I was looking forward to that, as well. So there was a lot in this film. And all the scenes with the gangsters, all the power struggle, and the underlining intimidating one another. When I read the scenes, I was like, “I’m looking forward to playing that scene. I'm looking forward to playing that scene.” So it's been one of those experiences for me that I just felt like much of the film was just like that.

COLLIN: Gustav and I worked out a lot. Gustav worked out, like, 100 times more than I did, but definitely scenes you know are happening, the scenes where you have to flash the muscles that you've been working on.

GIESE: And I felt a little anxious, as well, about those scenes because I've worked out for over a year to try to put on as much muscle as possible within that timeframe. So when you have those few days, then you know, “This is the day for the one fucking year!” [Laughs] And then you try to do everything right, like, “Am I looking as pumped as I possibly can?”

COLLIN: I remember texting you, “I ate oatmeal for breakfast. Is this right or wrong?” [Laughs] You were like, “No, it’s good. Eat it without anything.”

GIESE: Those days were more important when you've worked out for a year, eating chicken all the time.

What's funny is a lot of people don't realize the Hollywood stars, when you are cut like you can't believe, it's because people know that's the day that you're filming that scene and purposely drain water.

GIESE: And you can also pump up the muscles, as well, so they look even more. It's kind of a bad idea to have as an audience, I would say, because you can do all sorts of things to make it look [good]. And the lighting and everything, and sweat.

So, you're trying to say it's not all 100% real in terms of this is how you look all the time?

GIESE: [Laughs] Yeah, you’re [not] like that all the time. You can , but I mean, you're not gonna feel very happy. You're gonna be miserable.

On 'The Quiet Ones,' The Obstacles Were The Fun Part

KATEB: About the process of the movie and the limits we had in terms of budget and things like that about what Frederik said about the opening scene, that's something that was very exciting for us. That's something we really shared, to have only three takes to do this scene, for example. It was very exciting. We had this scene at the second one, and the last one was just for pleasure. We never shoot a movie. We can have how many takes, as many takes as we want. That's something very challenging shared in this situation, and precious.

WAGELIN: It's like free adrenaline. When there's such like long shots and you have, like, four windshields, you get the free adrenaline. It's like dancing, and I just love to work that way. It's not very common that you do those types of scenes, so it felt very exclusive. I know that everybody was under pressure time-wise and budget-wise, but I was just enjoying it. I loved it.

HVIID: That’s the fun part of making films. To me, those limitations actually offer a lot of possibilities in terms of how you are going to creatively make sure that the vision of the film comes through because you don't have an endless budget. You actually have to do it in time, as it is with every film. But I think that with ambitions as high as they were with this film and with this cast, it was very much a collaborative effort to make sure that we were actually able to pull through by being as creative as we could under the circumstances and making sure that we kept elevating and pushing ourselves. So, with those limitations, actually, I really thrive in those.

Sometimes hitting a wall you have to get around inspires a better creative decision.

HVIID: To me, that's the fun part of it, seeing your obstacles and then discovering ways of overcoming them.

This is obviously based on a true story, but where did you feel like you could take liberties?

HVIID: I felt like we could take liberties anywhere, to be honest. I was very conscious that we weren't making a documentary. Obviously, throughout our research with the guys, there were elements where, when I asked him a question, he said, “I can't go into that because so-and-so hasn't been caught,” or whatever. And obviously, he couldn't tell me because people are still out, or they’ve still got the money. So, we had this agreement that if we came to those points where he was like, “I'm sorry, I'm gonna have to pass on that question,” I wouldn't dive more into it. But I realized that those gaps we needed to fill creatively with film.

After the film was done, I invited him to come see it, to come see those kinds of gaps that we had to bridge. He came out and he was like, “ Wow, man, you really hit the nail on the head with those things. It comes pretty close ,” which made me quite proud because it felt like we understood the scenarios that he was trying to convey without having him tell on his old buddies.

I totally get it.

The Cast of 'The Quiet Ones' Talk 'House of Dragons' and the Lasting Impression of 'A Prophet.'

I do have to ask the two of you some individual questions. I love A Prophet , which was very early in your career. What do you remember about making that film, and did you realize when you were making it that it was gonna be so special?

KATEB: It was the first feature movie I shot. I’d just shot a series before, and I did theater before, so that was special in many ways. It was the first world tour. [Laughs] But shooting it was a very special feeling. Actually, that's something I really keep with me all the time since then. It's been 15 years now. I would add, that's also one of the reasons for our meeting with Frederik because you saw it a few years ago.

HVIID: I've seen it countless times.

KATEB: We spoke about this film the first time we met.

I want to emphasize A Prophet is fucking awesome.

HVIID: Yeah, watch that one!

For sure. I loved Raised by Wolves , and so, so sorry it didn't go further. When you think back, what do you miss most about making that show?

COLLIN: The latex suit. No, it was a great experience. The work-life balance was really good for me on that one. I had my entire family with me, and it functioned very well. It's very rare when you get to actually do those things. Otherwise, it's very family and then removed from family. So, I do miss that. And then, as a woman, when you wanna fight and fly and use a bow and arrow and kick some ass, it's either in sci-fi or fantasy, so I do miss that combat training. It was lots of fun.

You got to be part of House of the Dragon , which is kind of popular. Just a little bit.

COLLIN: Yeah, I’ve heard of it.

I think some people have seen it. What was it like being a part of that in terms of getting that call to join something that millions upon millions of people around the world are gonna be watching?

COLLIN: Luckily, I've grown older with time, and so when those things happen, I really feel like I won in life by just being alive and having two healthy children. It's, of course, exciting because I really enjoy working with people who are very, very nerdy about their job, and on big shows like that, it's just nerds, which is so great. But nerds also come with low budgets. So, I don't know. It was just a fantastic experience and everyone was super nice, and I got to wear a cape.

Listen, if I was ever on a show like that, I would be looking around and being like, “What can I borrow and take home with every intention of bringing back?”

COLLIN: That's me on set, the nerd like, “Oh my god!”

Heist Films Like 'Heat' Didn't Influence 'The Quiet Ones'

Not directly, at least..

I am curious, when you're making a film like this in this genre, there have been so many iconic films that have come before you. As actors, are you specifically seeking out or re-watching a film like Heat or other things to put your mind in a certain mindset or do you purposely want to avoid those films? As a director, are you watching anything for inspiration, or do you wanna avoid everything?

HVIID: No, I don't wanna avoid anything. I mean, I've seen Heat so many times, I don't think seeing it for the fifteenth time, I'll get more out of it. I've seen it a million times. I know it inside out. So, I didn't watch that, but The Red Circle is a film that I tend to go back to. But for everything leading up to production, I actually try to stay clear of those specific genres and try to provide myself with very different films so I can get inspired by other stuff than what we're doing. Obviously, I'm very inspired by film. I watch a lot of films, and so they also influence my work. So I try to stay away from the films that are in the same genre as the one that I'm making, at least leading up to pre-production.

KATEB: Like Frederik, I had seen so many films, and Heat so many times. But no, it was more about the way we were gonna tell the story together and the space Frederik gave to acting with his very clear choices about angle. We didn't lose so many angles with the camera and there were really times for acting and space for that. It wasn't so much about being a gangste, it was just about trying to make something.

10 Heist Movies That Are Pretty Much Perfect, Ranked

Heist, heist, baby.

COLLIN: Frederik is such a clear visionary director, and it's such a dream to just step into his vision. And because you're such a nerd, you feel so safe as an actor, right? You have great taste and musicality, and you know your stuff. So it's much more, like you say, Chris, a dance and letting go into the ensemble feeling of it, which is really amazing. Keep making movies.

This is your second film, and you'll be making a third. There's no getting around that.

HVIID: I hope so.

Special thanks to this year’s partners of the Cinema Center x Collider Studio at TIFF 2024 including presenting Sponsor Range Rover Sport as well as supporting sponsors Peoples Group financial services, poppi soda, Don Julio Tequila, Legend Water and our venue host partner Marbl Toronto. And also Roxstar Entertainment, our event producing partner and Photagonist Canada for the photo and video services.

The Quiet Ones (2024)

In 2008, a group of men from Denmark and across Europe pull off the biggest heist of all time on Danish soil. Kasper, a boxer with few chances left in life, is offered the opportunity to plan the robbery by its foreign initiators.